My adventure in Gabon has come to an end. I’ve had an absolutely wild year in the jungle collecting enough memories to keep many grandchildren entertained. There is no way I could condense into one blog post exactly what the last year has meant to me – I’ll probably spend the rest of my life slowly realizing its significance.

I will, however, share one last memory that was very special. I was taking a final jaunt into the jungle to a place known as Twin Falls. This appropriately named waterfall is comprised of two almost identical cascades that tumble into a narrow canyon underneath. They are hidden deep in the rainforest, outside the reach of civilization and few people have ever witnessed them.

When I reached the base after a very steep decline down a cliff-face I was blown away by what I saw. I looked up at the raging river as it fell down into the gorge where the water churned and splashed with the most deafening roar. Steam rose from the base and filled the air between the river and the sky, drenching me to the bone. Sunlight from above glowed through this misty layer creating rainbows everywhere I looked. They formed and disappeared within seconds, new ones sprouting up all around me. Glossy ferns clung to the surrounding rocks adding random bursts of green against the white water.

It was heaven on Earth. Adam and Eve would not have been out of place sitting on a rock sharing a fruit. It seemed too beautiful to be natural. I got as close as I could safely get to the falls and sat on a slick rock, barely able to see with the water splashing in my face. It was the perfect place to say goodbye to the jungle. And amidst the gushing water all around me I’m pretty sure I heard the jungle say goodbye to me, in its own mysterious way. I’m currently in South Africa continuing to feed my appetite for adventure except now in a more urban setting (more blogs to come).

It could have been any of us

Before I moved to Gabon, I spent a summer in Berkeley on a J1 visa. When I arrived in Johannesburg I was met with the unthinkable news about the six young people who fell to their deaths in Berkeley. I was heartbroken. As I pieced together the tragic story through a mess of Facebook links a stream of warm tears fell down my face. I didn’t know any of the individuals involved but that didn’t matter. They were Irish. They were young. They were on an adventure.

Like me they were set on broadening their horizons. They wanted to explore the world and push their boundaries in a new place. No doubt they were already planning on how they’d spend July 4th and probably considering if they would travel down the coast before heading home or not. We young people like to look ahead to the future. We don’t ever consider how transient life can be.

I too spent a summer in Berkeley on a J1 visa two years ago and know exactly the excitement those students were feeling heading over to the Sates. There is nothing like being young and living with your friends without a care in the world. I had the summer of a lifetime in that wonderful town. It should have been the same for them.

It’s impossible to make sense of such a sad accident. Why should somebody die when they’re in their prime? There is no answer to that question but there is a lesson to learn; life is short and should be lived to its fullest. Little moments, like the one I had on that rock at Twin Falls, are what combine to make a life. We should all try to make our moments special and help others make theirs special too.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who knew the deceased, to those still recovering in hospital and to Irish people all over the world who are feeling a long way away from home right now.